#3

Captain America (Captain America #040)

On the surface, wall-Cap seems an odd choice to be so high on the list, lacking the sheer might and versatility of the likes of Prof. X or Magog. But the Sentinel of Liberty totally deserves his spot.

• First, his base starting stats are solid across the board. 10 Speed, 11 AV, 18 DV and 3 damage. Charge and Toughness round that stuff out.
• But it’s his removable shield that puts him in elite company. Granting Cap Energy Shield/Deflection, it makes him a very difficult target at range. He’s got an effective 8 range and ability to deal 3 to two targets even though his natural damage is only 3.
• Indomitable ensures that he’ll be able to move up and immediately act next turn without taking pushing damage .
• Later in his dial, he shifts to Combat Reflexes and some Close Combat Expert  or Exploit Weakness to make him particularly dangerous in close.
• Finally, there’s Outwit at the end to keep him a vital part of the team.

His DV does suffer a bit after the first click and it often feels like a waste not throwing his shield. Trouble is, doing so always exposes that weak DV, his only real weakness. But given his 83-point cost, that’s a weakness he’s well able to cover with teammates (perhaps wildcards able to share his Defenders TA?) he can easily fit alongside himself. Being a force unto himself on any team for an economical price, Cap winds up the 3rd best HeroClix of last year.

Who’ll the first runner-up be? Perhaps a contemporary of the Living Legend…